Ancient Medicine

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Hare’s revenge. Detail from Verdun bibliothèque municipale ms. 0107, fol. 96v. Image via Verdun bibliothèque virtuelle des manuscrits médiévaux, CC BY NC 3.0.

Easter foods to have avoided

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
April 09, 2021 by Sean Coughlin in Ancient Medicine

“Lambs have flesh that is extremely moist and phlegmy, while the flesh of adult sheep is more productive of residues and bad humours. The flesh of she-goats produces bad humours accompanied by acridity; but the worst is the flesh of he-goats, both with respect to good humours and digestion, followed by that of rams, then that of bulls. In all these cases animals that have been castrated are better. Old animals are the worst relative to digestion and good humours and nourishment, so that even in the case of pigs, although they have a moist temperament, the old ones are sinewy and dry, and for this reason their flesh is difficult to digest. The flesh of hares meanwhile is productive of thicker blood and better for good humours than the flesh of cattle or sheep.”

ὑγροτάτην δ' ἔχουσι καὶ φλεγματώδη σάρκα καὶ οἱ ἄρνες. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν προβάτων ἡ σὰρξ περιττωματικωτέρα τέ ἐστι καὶ κακοχυμοτέρα. κακόχυμος δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν αἰγῶν μετὰ δριμύτητος. ἡ δὲ τῶν τράγων χειρίστη καὶ πρὸς εὐχυμίαν καὶ πρὸς πέψιν, ἐφεξῆς δ' ἡ τῶν κριῶν, εἶθ' ἡ τῶν ταύρων. ἐν ἅπασι δὲ τούτοις τὰ τῶν εὐνουχισθέντων ἀμείνω. τὰ δὲ πρεσβυτικὰ χείριστα πρός τε πέψιν καὶ πρὸς εὐχυμίαν καὶ θρέψιν, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ὑῶν αὐτῶν, καίτοι γε ὑγρῶν ὄντων τὴν κρᾶσιν, οἱ γηράσαντες ἰνώδη καὶ ξηρὰν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δύσπεπτον ἔχουσι τὴν σάρκα. καὶ τοῦ λαγωοῦ δ' ἡ σὰρξ αἵματος μέν ἐστι παχυτέρου γεννητική, βελτίων δ' εἰς εὐχυμίαν ἢ κατὰ βοῦς καὶ πρόβατα.

Galen, On the properties of foods 3.1, 6.663–664 K.

April 09, 2021 /Sean Coughlin
Easter, rabbits, seasonal food, bestiary
Ancient Medicine
  • Newer
  • Older
 

CATEGORIES

  • Ancient Medicine
  • Botany
  • Events
  • Philosophy

SEARCH

 

RECENT POSTS

Featured
Sep 18, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Galen, Simple Drugs, Book 11, Preface (II)
Sep 18, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Sep 18, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Sep 11, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Galen, Simple Drugs, Book 11, Preface (I)
Sep 11, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Sep 11, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Sep 6, 2023
Philosophy
The first Socratic dialogues: Simon the Shoemaker
Sep 6, 2023
Philosophy
Sep 6, 2023
Philosophy
Sep 4, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Galen, Simple Drugs, Book 10, Preface
Sep 4, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Sep 4, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Aug 28, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Galen, Simple Drugs, Book 9, Preface
Aug 28, 2023
Ancient Medicine
Aug 28, 2023
Ancient Medicine